[Manga Maniac Cafe] Can you tell us a little about His Unexpected Family?

[Robyn Thomas] It’s a story of redemption, acceptance and starting over. My commitment phobic hero, Cole Matthews, feels responsible for the deaths of his brother and his best friend. They perished in an avalanche, and he should have been there with them, filming their expedition. He’s haunted by the thought that his life wasn’t the one worth saving, and he’s searching for a way to make it up to them. He’ll do anything. Almost anything. Discovering that his best friend has a baby daughter changes everything in an instant, but he doesn’t do families, emotions, or relationships.

Ren Jamieson lost her mountaineering husband in an avalanche. Now she has a tiny baby, crippling debts, and a housing crisis… and the only person willing to help her is another extreme sportsman. Her late-husband’s best friend, Cole, is half dream/half nightmare. The line between him and her late husband blurs dangerously, and often. It’d be so easy, and so wrong to fall for him. And regardless of whether she and Cole remain friends or become lovers he WILL let her down. It’s a certainty. She’s already made the mistake of relying on an adventurer, and just look where that got her. However tempting Cole is, she can’t afford another lapse in judgment.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] How did you come up with the concept and the characters for the story?

[Robyn Thomas] I watched Touching the Void and thought that the filming of it must’ve involved considerable risks. I wondered what sort of person would film an expedition like that, and how they’d differ from the mountaineers they were filming. What if they were a team and had worked together before? What if being delayed for a few days saved the life of the cameraman while both his brother and his best friend perished? I had a flawed hero on my hands, and I knew straight away that his penchant for extreme sports was going to be a problem.

I made Cole wait for his story until Ren “arrived” in my mind, already named, recently widowed and with a newborn daughter. I was surprised to find that her life had been turned inside out by the same tragedy that had ruined Cole’s. It gave the two of them common ground and opposing perspectives and a whole world of guilt to navigate through.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three words best describe Cole?

[Robyn Thomas] Sexy, tortured, determined.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What are three things Ren would never have in her purse?

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About Robyn Thomas

Robyn is a cheesecake connoisseur, caffeine addict, and mother of two boys. Happily married, she lives in Melbourne, Australia. Writing romance helps her balance the effects of living in an all-male household. Robyn loves movies, art glass and browsing in quirky gift shops.

Indulgence is an innovative line of category romance novels, priced at $2.99 and sold digitally only. Indulgence features fresh voices and realistic stories that reflect how women live and love in the new millennium. Whether funny, mysterious, dramatic, snarky, sexy, or heartfelt, these stories are active, fast-paced, and dialogue-heavy. Be bold. Be daring. Get out of the box.